Staying Put Means Death

Sometimes it takes an outsider to remind us who we really are. Nathalie Cabrol, who grew up in France and was hooked on space exploration from an early age, came to this country in 1994 and is now a U.S. citizen.

A veteran of the Mars Exploration Rover mission, she is passionate about her adopted country, where her dreams of becoming a Mars explorer came true.

She is also distressed by recent cuts to planetary exploration, as she told me when I interviewed her last March. Her message is simple: Humans are meant to be explorers. And even in tough economic times, America must explore space.

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Hugo: 2012/07/18 07:52 CDT

Love the video and totally agree! For example, I live in Argentina, if the US (or Europe) doesn't explore space, what is left for me?

Zorbonian: 2012/07/20 03:25 CDT

Good question, Hugo. In the United States, what it will take is for the two major political parties here to stop bickering, and to tax the wealthy the way that they should be taxed as Warren Buffett mentioned (one of the world’s richest men). And the (general) American public has to get educated in this matter, and understand that the wealthy (here and in most other places) almost always hoard their money and do not put it into things that will help other people or society at large. Until that happens, the budgets for science and exploration will probably continue to be cut, and the wealthy will continue to hoard their wealth.

Ron D: 2012/07/24 07:46 CDT

I agree on the need to explore but it is a very expensive thing to do so perhaps there could be more international colaboration, and tax breaks for any business involved in space exploration. This too requires something from governments, they would need to agree to make space travel and space related industries tax free. One day the Earth will not be big enough for all of humanity. Populations keep increasing and consider what it would be like if there should be another ice age. I like to picture a space elevator. The Japanese have been considering building one off the coast of Western Australia. Then solar sails to get to orbiting space cities. The Japanese have proven solar sails work and have one at present flying around Venus. Orbiting cities, revolving to simulate gravity, in the habitable zone around the Earth and the Sun. All can be done if people have the will.